Stamping die



April 27, 1943.

F. S. SPEICHER El'AL STAMPING DIE Filed Aug. :51, 1940 2' She ets-Sheet 1 INVENTO April 27, 1943. F. s. SPEICHER ET AL 2,317,861

STAMPING DIE INVENT R BYM 6M ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 27, 1943 UNHTED STATES T "OF P I 'QE STAMPING DIE Frank S. Speicher and Leon C. Bauer, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignors to M. E. Cunningham Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 31, 1940, Serial No. 355,070

5 Claims.

This invention relates to stamping dies and while useful for various types of service, has been developed more particularly for use in stamping metal articles such as tubes, rods, plates and the like.

One object of the invention is to provide a stamping die holder which facilitates the handling and positioning of the stamp proper, as well as the alignment of the stamp on the workpiece, and also protect the operators hands when used on hot pieces.

A further object is to provide a combination stamp and holder in which the stamp has 'a floating action in the holder and is so arranged that the holder functions to damp out the recoil of the stamp when the latter is struck with .a hammer or other blow imparting means to there by reduce the stress on the dies which are normally very rapidly destroyed by such action.

Another object is to provide an improved die and die holder for use in stamps for marking rounds which permits the same type to be used for marking articles of various diameters or fiat articles with circular markings of various diameters.

These and various other objects, as well as the various other novel features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent when the folowing detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which Figure l is a plan view, Figure 2 a side elevation, and Figure 3 an end view of a. preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 4 a front view, and Figure 5 an end view of the stamp proper.

Figure 6 is a front view and Figure 7 an end iew of the die retainer.

Figure 8 is a perspective view on an enlarged male of one of the dies.

Figures 9, 10, and 11 are side, bottom and end views respectively of the die retainer similar to Figure 6, but adapted for marking flats.

Figure 12 is an end view of a stamp adapted for marking flats with a curved impression; Figure 13 a front view and Figure 14 a side view of the die retainer used in this stamp.

Figure 15 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of one of the dies shown in Figures 12, 13, and 14, and Figures 16, 17 and 18 side, face and end views of a die retainer similar to that shown in Figures 6 and '7, but having the dies arranged to mark an article of larger diameter.

Referring in detail to the drawings and first to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 8 inclusively, the numeral I designates the stamp holder generally. As shown this comprises a housing 2 in which the stamp proper 3 is held. Extending laterally from the top of this housing 2 is a handle 4 of sufiicient length for an operator to conveniently handle the unit. To stabilize the stamp when applied to the workpiece 5 the outer end of the handle is provided with a support 6 which has the same length and shape at the bottom as the housing 2 so that the holder can be held rigidly on the workpiece. To assist in guiding the holder and holding it accurately in place, the lower end of the housing 2 and the support 6 are cut out in the form of a V or the like whereby feet It are provided which straddle a round when rested therein and locate the stamp accurately in the center of its piece.

Another feature of the holder is that it is equipped with a bafile plate I secured to the housing 2 and support 6 below the handle 4. This is provided to protect the operators hand from getting burned by radiated heat when this stamp is used to mark hot pipes, rounds, or other hot workpieces.

As illustrated although it may take other shapes, the stamp 3 is rectangular in cross-section and adapted to fit loosely in the housing 2 with its blow receiving end projecting well above the housing. This permits an operator to strike the stamp with safety while holding it in place by means of the holder 4. In order that the stamp will not fall out of the holder, a groove 8 is cut in one of its sides and located to register with a similar groove 9 cut in the housing. A

pin Ii is inserted in these grooves and locks the stamp in the housing. To hold the pin H in place it can be curved at one end and this curved end forced against the back of the housing.

A feature of the assembly is that the grooves 8 and 9 in which the pin H is fitted are made somewhat wider than the pin to allow some relative movement of the stamp in the housing so that the blow on the stamp for marking the impression will not be taken by the pin. With this provision the housing acts as a damping medium for the stamp and tends to kill the recoil of the stamp when it is hit with a hammer or like impact means. In service this has been found to greatly increase the useful life of the dies l2 as it protects them against the usual injurious recoil action.

In this embodiment of the invention the dies l2 are held in a die retainer l3 which is slidably fitted in a slot M cut in the bottom of the stamp 3, and to hold this retainer in place it is provided with shoulders i5 in its upper side which fit in oifset grooves l6 cut in the holder at the upper part of the slot 14.

As will be readily appreciated, such a unit may be used for marking articles having different diameters, but to adapt it for such use, either a plurality of die retainers i 3 must be provided which have differently curved cut-out portions (see Figures 6 and 16) or adapters not shown must be fitted in the cut-out part of the frame which is to be marked. Thus if dies I2 of equal length are used their faces are caused to assume the same curvature and to accommodate this curvat re dies of somewhat wedge shape are emplo ed and by reason of the opening I! being in he form of a circular sector, shoulders l8 are provided which because of the large base on the dies, function to hold the dies in place.

Where dies of this type are normally used, there are usually articles of different diameters to be marked and it is, of course, desirable to keep the stamp inventory and maintenance at a minimum. This problem is solved by this invention in that the same holder, stamp and dies may be used for a very wide range of article diameters with small change in the stamp.

The only part of the stamp requiring altering to change the effective diameter of the stamp is the die retainer l3. This must be changed so that the die faces will conform to the circular diameter of the article being marked. In the embodiment shown it is contemplated that each stamp will be provided for this purpose with a plurality of die retainers l3 having different die supporting curvatures, although as will be appreciated, the same end could be accomplished by using a common frame l3 and. a number of removable fillers to give the same result.

A further feature of the invention is embodied in the dies I2. In the commonly used stamps in which wedge shaped dies are employed for marking rounds of different diameters, a diiferent shape of die is required for each different diameter of die face setting required. This makes for greater difficulty in setting up the stamp and greatly increases the inventory of dies required, as well as the confusion in handling and selecting the dies.

According to this invention the sides lZa and l2b of the dies l2 which lie in a circle are curved somewhat in the shape of a gear tooth. This adapts the same dies for use on a very wide range of diameters. As will be appreciated by reference to Figures 6 and 16, as the curvature of the opening I! in the die retaining frame l3 goes from a smaller to a larger radia, the line of contact of the side walls l2a and. 12b of adjacent dies moves from a point near the outer end of the die to a pointtoward the base of the die. The fitting of the dies in the various openings I1, however, remain for all purposes the same.

This latter feature of the invention may also be used in a stamp such as shown in Figures 12, 13 and 14 which is employed to place curved marking on fiat surfaces. In such a stamp the characters, of course, are formed on the ends of the dies 23 instead of the tops. As shown in these figures a simple stamp holder 21 is employed to hold a die retaining frame 22 in which the dies 23 are mounted in a curved opening 24 and held in place by a flexible pin or wire 25 passed through registering holes 26 in the frame 22 and 21 in the dies 23. For different curvature lettering the opening 24 is changed,-but as in the above described embodiment of the invention the the holders I may be made in various ways to fit the needs of various applications without departing from the spirit of this invention.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle and mode of operation of the invention have been explained and what is now considered a recommended embodiment has been illustrated and described. However, it is to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. For use in stamping die employing a die holder, a die retainer to be removably mounted in the die holder, a plurality of dies provided with curved side walls mounted in said retainer, a curved opening in said die retainer providing a base wall for engaging the inner ends of the dies and determining the position of the exposed ends, and means for holding the dies in the retainer.

2. A stamping die comprising a die holder, a flanged die retainer slidably fitted in a grooved slot out in said holder, a plurality of dies fitted in an opening in said retainer, said opening being curved at its inner surface to provide a curved seat for the base of the dies and the dies being formed substantially wedge shaped with curved side walls.

3. A stamping die comprising a stamp holder, a die retainer fitted in a slot in said holder, a die fitted in an opening in said retainer, a pin extending through registering opening in the die and retainer for holding the die in the retainer, and a hollow housing for the holder adapted to hold said pin in place.

4. A stamping die comprising a housing having an opening of uniform cross-section extending therethrough, a die holder removably mounted in the opening in said housing with one end disposed to project beyond the wall of the housing to receive the stamping impact, a die retainer removably mounted in a transverse slot in said die holder, a plurality of dies mounted in said die retainer with the opposite ends thereof held in place by the walls formed by the slot in said die holder, a retainer pin for holding said die holder in said housing removably fitted in an opening in said housing, and a slot in said die holder, the latter slot being of greater width than the pin to prevent relative movement of the die holder in the housing.

5. A stamping die according to claim 11 having a manipulating and stabilizing handle secured to the upper end of said housing and projecting perpendicularly thereto with an end thereon comprising a strut the length of which is equal to the length of the housing and disposed in parallelism therewith, a bafile plate projecting between said strut and said housing and underlying said handle whereby preventing heat from a workpiece coming into direct contact with said handle.

FRANK S. SPEICHER. LEON C. HAUER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,517,861. April 27, 1914.3.

FRANK S. SPEICHER, ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line 60, claim 5, for the claim reference numeral "'11" read and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may confom to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of June, A. D. 19%.

7 Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

